Book-fumigator.



R. OLDHAM.

BOOK FUMIGATOR.

APPUcATloN FILED APR. 29. 191s.

2 SHEETS-SHED l.

11,285,787.. Patented Nov. 26', 1918.

MM @4MM R. OLDHAM.

BooK FUMIGATOR.

I APPLlcATloN men Mmzg. |918. 1,285,787. Patented Nov. 2b, 1918. 2 sHsEs-sneel 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

ROBEIIRJIA OLDHAM, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

BOOK-FUMIGATOR.

Application tiled april 29. 1918.

To all whom t may concern:

Be itl known that I, ROBERT OLDHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Book- Fumigators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to book fiunigatorsA` and has for its object to provide the means toturnthe leaves of a `book and supply a gaseous disinfectant to each and every leaf and portion of the book for the required period of time to disinfect or fumigate the same, and to move the book laterally in order to disinfect every portion thereof.

These objects I accomplish with the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which similar let-ters and numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views and as described in the specification forming a part of this application and pointed out in the appended claims In the drawings in which I have shown a substantial embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of my device with a book therein. Fig. Q is an inverted plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the leaf turningand supporting elements.

Frequently in schools and libraries it is desirable to fumigate the books to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. In the efforts by the health vboards to prevent the spread of contagious diseases many large libraries and thousands of school books have been destroyed because it was not deemed practical to fumigate and disinfect the books. as each leaf with the covers .must be disinfected. l have invented and patented a device wherein one or more books may be placed and by which the leaves of the books may be mechanically and individually turned while the entirebook and each individual leaf thereof may be treated with a gaseous disinfectant thereby fumigating every part of the book or books. vIn the use of the invention patented to me Februarv 1 1916, Number 1169993 I have found it desirableto shift the fbook laterally.

In the present invention I provide a frame on which is secured the mechanical parts of my device, but I do not wish to confine myself to a frame for it will beobvious thaty the said mechanical parts of my de vice may be mounted in a box or other closed Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

Serial No. 231,561.

receptacle. I prefer such a frame as is shown at 1, as sheet glass may be fastened to the sides and top thereof, which construction enables me to observe thel operation of the leaf turning elements and provide an. air tight receptacle within which a disinfecting gas is generated. @n the upper portion of said frame is secured the book clamp which consists of flat bars 2 and The wack or cover of the book to be treated is hold between the said bars '2 and 3 b v t io hand clamp 5.

On the ends of said frame 1 is secured the track on which the leaf turning` elements are raised or lowered, and said track consists of the vertical rods 6 and 6 spaced apart in pairs; between each pair of which the carriages A and A are operated. Each carriage consists of a sheet of metal 'l' on which the pulley wheels 8 are mounted in suitable stub axles or shafts. and said pulley wheels bear against and between said rods 6 and G. On each of saidcarriages a gripping lug 9 is secured extending outwardly from the carriage to which the operating cable or cord 12 is fastened. in order that when said cable 12 is drawn endwise that said larriages will be moved up or down between said rods 6 and 6. rThe said cable is operated over the sheaves 10 which are mounted on the 'bottom of said frame 1, and over the sheaves 11 that are mounted on the top cross piece of said frame; and is moved by the crank 18 by being wound around a drum sheave 1st which is fastened on said crank 13. A sprocket wheel 15 is mounted adjacent the said carriage A by being secured on the horizontal shaft 24e, and also on said shaft 24e is carried one end of the supporting bar 17, to the othe'rend of which is secured a short shaft 18. A sprocket wheel 19 and the upper end of another supporting bar 2() are journaled on said short shaft 18, which also carries another sprocket wheel 21. The lower end of the said. supporting bar 2O is pivoted on a driving shaft suitably mounted in bear ings at the bottom of saidvframe 1. Also another sprocket wheel is carried on said driving shaft 22. The sprocket wheels 15 and 19 are connected by the chain 3J and the sprocket wheels 21 and 23 are connected by the sprocket chain 33; The said carriages A and A are connected by the horizontal shafts 24 and the ends of which are rigidly secured therein and on which the leaf turning elements B are adjustably secured and of which there are shown six, three on each of said shafts. Each of said leaf turning elements consists of a metal cube Q6 which means by which said cube is fastened on said respective shafts 24 and to prevent said element from turning on the shaft or being moved unintentionalljY along its respective shaft. A clamping plate is fastened by a set screw to one of the faces of said cube 26 to hold the friction element or rubber 29 and the leaf lever C in relative position on the cube 26. The leaf levers of which there are siX for each book, each consists of a rod or bar 30 having a joint therein and on its free end is mounted a small roller 31.

- A leaf supporting member D is also mounted on said horizontal shafts 24 and 25 and consists of metal supports 35, a frame 44 which is carried on said horizontal shafts 24 and 25 and bars 45 connecting said metal supports and the said frame 44. A set of sprocket wheels 42 and chain 43 impart the rotary motion vof the horizontal shaft 24 to the shaft 25. f A contact weight 40 is secured in a false cover leaf 41, which weight fills the double purpose of supplying additional weight to the said cover leaf and of completing the electric circuit when said contact weight comes in contact with said metal supports 35. On the said horizontal shafts 24 and 25 is adjustab'ly secured a U-shaped frame 44 to which is adjustably fastened. the said metal supports 35 by means of the extended bars 45. The leaf placing member F is mounted on said frame 44 and consists of a shaft 46 j ournaled in said frame and operated by means of a sprocket chain 47 connecting a sprocket wheel on said horizontal shaft 24 with one on said shaft 46. 1n said shaft ,46 is radially fastened the feathers 4S,

' in sets of four, and when operated as spokes they move or turn the leaves from a depending vertical position they are apt to assume, as at 4, in Fig. 3, to one side and in the path of the leaf lever C on that side where the said leaf lever C engages said leaf and it is moved or pushed by said rollers 31 contiguous the turned and fumigated leaves to the. left as shown in Fig. 3.

The assembling and operation of my d evice is as follows:

The book to be fumigated is placed in the device by opening the book until the cover or back thereof is in a plane. Two false backs 41 are inserted between the outside leaves of said book and the adjacent back or cover of said book, and securing the book by opening or parting the leaves near the middle and laying the back of the book face down on the said bars 2 and under the bars 3 on the top of said book back and fastening said book by slipping the ends thereof under the catches 4, also by placing the ends of the hand clamp 5 between the book back and said bars 3 with the leaves so parted resting on the outer face of said supports 35. I prefer to use four of said supports under each book leaf. The leaf turning elements are then adjusted to the desired po'sitionjbetween the parted leaves by turning the crank 13 and thereby raising or lowering the said carriages A and A until the friction elements 29 touch or contact,- with the two contivuous leaves previously parted. about onefourth the width of each leaf from its front edge and with each rubber positioned longi tudinally along the length of the leaves from each end thereof. The leaves on one side of the said parting bearingrv against the curved portion of said metal supports 35 on one side of the device and the leaves on the other side of the parting, bearing against o'r resting on the metal supports 35 on the other side. The said supporting bars 17 and 20 allow the said carriages A and A with the connecting horizontal shafts .24- and 25 andthe elements mounted thereon to be raised or lowered without affecting the operation of the leaf turning members, and this allows me to turn the leaves of a boel; having narrow leaves and to then adjust said carriages vertically and equally as well to turn the leaves of a book having wider leaves. The adjust-ment of the friction members by means of the clamping plates;l enables me by turning shafts Q4 and o apply the requisite friction to turn a leaf as a child does with its moistened thumb, while by the same adjustment to engage the opposite leaf with the rollers 31 on the free end of the leaf levers 30 and push said leaf to the face or curved side of the adjacent supports 35. The joint in the leaf levers allow said levers on one horizontal shaft to pass the leaves when said levers are being raised and to bear against the leaves when said levers on the other horizontal shaft are being lowered.

My device is electrically operated by power being applied to rotate the said driv ing shaft 22 to the left or to the right as required. To change the direction in which the leaves are turned and to make said change automatically and at the required timel use electricity generated by a dry battery (not shown). The current from said battery iscarried to theframe of the nzachine over the wire 50 and to the said weight 40 fastened in the false back 41 by the `wire 51. When the last leaf is turned away from said false cover leaf 41 the metallic weight. 40 which is secured in said cover leaf will by gravity fall into contact with one of the adjacent supports 35 and complete the elec` tric circuit. The completion of the said circuit will turn said shaft 22 in a reverse direction to what it has just been turning and all of the said mechanism will be turned in the opposite direction to what it has just been turning. The friction members will then engage with and turn the leaves toward the empty sides and continue to do so until all of the leaves are so turned and there is another contact formed with the opposite metal support 35 and metallic weight 41.

In order that I may fumigate thick books or those having a great number of leaves I make the book holding elements slidable laterally as well as longitudinally in the said frame 1, and to do this I provide cross heads 53 connecting the said bars 2 at each end of the said frame 1, which makes what may be termed a book carrying frame out of the said bars 2, 3 and cross heads 53, the ends of which slide in the cross bars at the top of the said frame 1. In order to move the said Ibook holding frame laterally and synchronously or in unison with the leaf turning elements, I provide another vertical shaft 54 which is journaled in said frame 1 and is rotated by the gear wheel 55, which is operated by the worm gear 57 that is carried on and is rotated with said shaft 25. In order that said shaft 25 may be raised and lowered as hereinbefore described, with the said Worm gear 57 in mesh at all times with the gear wheel 55, said gear 55 is splined on said shaft 54 which allows said gear wheel 55 to be moved up or down without interrupting the connection with said gear and worm. Another vertical shaft 58 is also journaled in said frame 1 and is rotated by the sprocket wheels 65, and 66 and chain 67 connecting them. On the upper end of said shaft 58 is secured a bevel pinion 60, the teeth of which engage the teeth of a bevel gear 61. On said gear 6l is fastened a. radially extended arm 62 which arm is connected with said book moving frame by the link rod 63, and as 'said gear 61 is partially rotated the said book frame is moved laterally from side to side of said frame 1 and synchronously with the turning of the leaves in order that the depending leaf of the book will always hang vertical whether it be the first leaf in the book or the last leaf.

On said frame 44 is fastened a moisture pan 68 with a wick 69 leading therefrom to a moistener wheel 70 journaled contiguous the path of the friction elements 29 in order that said friction elements 29 may be moistened or wet to properly turn each leaf of the book under treatment.

The book carrying frame and book se cured thereon will be moved synchronously with the leaf turning elements and when moved in one direction and the last leaf in the book has been turned it will be held vertical and the direction of the said frame and book will be changed by the reverse movements and the book will be started to move and will be moved laterally in the reverse direction as said last leaf is turned and held against the said cover leaf 41 and the next and each succeeding leaf will reach a vertical position by the entire book being shifted so slightly as to bring the leaf directly over the center of said frame 44 while in vertical position.

Having thus described my invention I desire to secure by Letters Patent and claim:

1. A book fumigator comprising a closed receptacle within which a disinfecting gas may be generated; iiat bars and cross-heads to clamp the back of the book; a plurality of vertically adjustable metal supports on which the leaves of the book rest and which are arranged in parallel sets; means to shift the leaves which rest on one set of said metal supports, one at a time, so that they will rest on the other set of said metal supports, said means consisting of friction members and leaf levers; power driven shafts rotatable in either direction to move said friction members and leaf levers, in order that said leaves may be shifted to the right or to the left; and means to moisten said friction members, said means consisting of a water pan; a moistener wheel and wick connecting the pan and wheel.

2. A book fumigator comprising a closed receptacle within which a disinfecting gas may be generated; means to hold and laterally shift a book partially open in the upper part of said receptacle, said means consisting of connected Hat hars to clamp the back of the book and two sets of opposed meta-l leaf supports; means to shift the leaves which rest on one set of said metal supports, one at a time, so that they will rest on the other set of said supports, said means consisting of friction members and leaf levers; and power driven shafts rotatable in either direction to move said friction members and leaf levers in order that said leaves may be shifted to the right or to the left; means to shift the book laterally consisting of al vertical shaft a beveled pinion thereon; a beveled gear; a radial arm thereon; a. link rod connecting said arm and said book holding bars; and means to automatically change the direction in which said shafts are rotated, said means consisting of a contact weight secured in a false back adjacent the back of said book; and electric wires leading from said contact weight and said receptacle to a source of electric energy by which an electric circuit is completed when the last leaf is shifted from between the metal supports on either side and the contact weight adjacent.

In testimony whereof I have ailixed my signature.

ROBT. OLDHAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patenti. Washington, D. C. 

